First day of service!
Today was our first of service. We experienced the thrill of a Brooklyn commute to Manhattan and arrived right on time for our first day of volunteering. The grand Seth Richardson greeted us and had a wonderful orientation. David then gave us a tour of the GMHC and explained why service meant so much to him. His stories were incredible. They all were so welcoming and kind! We then headed to lunch were Site Leader Gabby and participant Olivia were approached by someone handing out flyers for AIDS walk. AIDS walk is the biggest fundraiser for the GMHC and it wad inspiring to see others working in the community for this cause. After lunch we watched the documentary Larry Kramer: In Love and Hate. This documentary opened our eyes to the injustice those infected with HIV and AIDS experienced by the health care system. As future health professionals it made us aware the discrimination that can occur and the importance of treating every individual with respect and dignity no matter their sexual orientation or diagnosis. We also learned about an HIV prevention drug PrEp and PEP which works to lower the risk of HIV-negative individuals to HIV and AIDS. In addition we discussed how HIV/AIDs is not as talked about on college campuses any more and how some diseases might follow popular trends controlled by the media. IE Ebola in the news and then Zika virus. After the service, we headed out and saw a few more sites including Central Park and Rockefeller Center. At night, we ended with a great discussion and participant Jaqueline really brought it home and shared an article from Mizzou about how HIV!
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